The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-10
HI OPIUM FARMER.

These are. first, to decorate his wife pro-
iusely with Ornamental, to cot off q brass
plato, anu to be In o position to make O
great display when his eldest son is mar-
ricd. As far as the wffe's jewelry IL
concerned, that Is n matter OF religious
duty, tho Hindoo religion demanding
that certain ornaments must be worn by
married women, and the real wealth, IL
wealth 1t may be called, Of the native
landowner Is his wife's jewels, and what.
ever n ~husbandman can gain by his pop-
py culture he Immediately invests in
Jewcfy, tho samo us the Yankee farmer
PAGES his money in bond and mortgage.
IL the Indian farmer on marrying cannot
do amy better in tho way of jewelry, no
must give the bride he obtains lead or.
nanhchts. This keeps tho religious form.
put the very first year he has been ener.
gene enough to raise q good opium crop
me lead Jewelry gives place to silver or
gold. On tho marriage OF his oldeet son
an Indian farmer will waste In n wcek'a
Qualification tho entire savings Of years OF
privation
ut Is II strange sight to see the Hindoo
women Mt work In tho fields, gathering
poppy juice or picking weeds, decked ouS
With huge gold rings, bracelets, anklcts
md chains, and wearing but a single
short pctticoat and a gay colored wrap Of
light texture. Tho wants OF the Indian
rai4t. as the farmer is called, aro very
few and simple. A matched roof, cover
ing four confined mud walls, shcltcrs him.
niid there arc families who have lived for
hundreds Of years, generation after gem
Grafton. In tho same howell like homo.
stcnd. The farmers suit of every day
working clothes is q very scnnt cloth
fastened about his loins. His sdress up'
SUIT Is q big cotton sheet folded about
him. Ills entire family, from himself
Town to the smallest child he owns, that
Is not too small to crawl about among
tho poppy plants and know the difference
between a weed and q poppy, share in the
toll OF the field. The small children are
clothed just as they came into the world,
md appear comfortable, no matter how
hot the IL shines or how low the tenn
poraturc may fall-and in November,
December, January and February, when
the bulk of the field work is done, tho
weather is quite cold enough for Mt least
summer clothing.
These happy go lucky tillcrs Of tho
soil depend entirely OH the government
TO keep them going year after year in the
matter OF farming. Thus tho govern
mcnt advances the poppy seed that Is to
bc sown, loans the money by which the
land Is irrigated and the bullocks DUR
chased to carry on the work. Tho Gull
tivator will not till more of his land than
he 4 manage without other help than
his own immediate family, and, conse-
Qucntly, a patch leased to any ono farmer
that Is half an aero in extent il an cxcep-
%tionally large holding. The o~no-twcntieth
OF an acre, called a bigka, is the f~avoritc
quantity of land for II farmer to seed
with poppies, but he will put in n
tenth or n sixth on n pinch. Th0re arc
untold advantages In tho growing of
OPIUM for extended enterprise, but tho
ralat will not eMpcnd the smallest Indian
coin to acquire these advantages, and
with II great gain. for tho profit in opium
production Ia large. owing TO the policy
oi.tho government In paying largo prices
for tho product Us O means of precluding
Illicit traffic In h.
Tho farmers themselves have no direct
intercourse with tho government. Each
village OF opium growers select come
native M their representative OF agent
with the authorities. Iie Is called the
lamhardar. II Ia Ills business to giro ca
Inmates 70 tho government agcnte rs 20
tho probable Yield OF uN farms he repro
cents, on which do loans and advances
may bo baScd. He manages every traus-
action between tho government and the
nTtlera, and for his services no gets O
commisIan on oil tho opium no causes TO
be delivered to whnt are known as tho
weighing stations. points where the pro-
dues OF certain districts IA carried by tho
growers and turned over to tho agenta
"The opium gathering begins IN Janu-
ary or February. Tho poppy flowers
havo then given way to the seed pods,
which arc lanced In the afternoon. The
thick gum. tho opium, exudes from tho
cut made In the pod, and at daylight tho
noxt morning tho entire family Of q
raiat nro astir in tha fields, ~scraping the
opium from the pods, tho incisions being
carefully closed again, by rubbing the
finger sharply up and down on the cuts.
which CLUES them. II carefully treated
the pods will expand hherally 70 siK
landings. Tho opium is ut flrst placed In
brass vessels, and tho dew sha3 may ed
here TO 1t Is drained OH. Then IL L.
kneaded like dough until 10 is at tho
proper consistency, when 10 b packed In
now earthern jars md iB ready TO be car
ried to tho weighing stations.
Tho order TO fetch In the years crop
OF opium Ii generally given carly In April,
and that is the most interesting season OF
the year to the RANT and his family. Each
farmer is notified that on o certain day no
must DO Mt the weighing station Of his
district for the testing and weighing. An
entire village, men. women and children,
join In joyo'if procession when this notice
IL received, and. laden with the Jars of
opium, start for the destination. They
travel only at night, as tho heat of the
sun - 20 great at that season Of tho year
that Ii journey would bo uncomfortable.
All day they lounge in the groves and
shady lanes, fcasting and joing in various
rccrcations. These wayside camps of tho
opium villages are picturesque sights to
the traveller through these provinces.
When a group arrive ut the weighing
station they arc ranged in long lines be-
fore the examiner, who examines the
opium OF each n and marks tho quality
and weight Of each jar with a piece OF
chalk on the side Of tho jar. Tho exam
liners nrc experts, and con tell b. tho feel
ing whether q sample of opium is aduI-
taYntnyV l.,k H., -.A "a L.